JACKSON — When Paul Sander looked across the field this spring, he saw one of the youngest teams he had coached in 20 years at Saxony Lutheran.
What he saw by season’s end was a group that matured quickly, exceeded expectations and helped send the longtime coach into retirement on a high note.
Despite fielding a roster with only 2 full-time senior starters and relying heavily on sophomores and freshmen, Saxony finished the 2026 season with a 17-5 record and reached the Class 3, District 2 championship game before falling 2-0 to Scott City on May 19 in Cape Girardeau.
For Sander, the season served as a fitting conclusion to a coaching career that spanned 20 years and 426 varsity games.
“We were so young, I’m so happy that we did,” Sander said. “I think we exceeded expectations, Robert, I really do. I think that we exceeded our expectations of what a lot of people had for us this year.”
The Crusaders opened the season by winning 8 of their first 10 games and later pieced together another strong stretch that included wins over Perryville, Valle Catholic, Meadow Heights, Chaffee, Arcadia Valley and Grandview. After a first-round bye at districts, Saxony topped Arcadia Valley 5-1 in the semifinal round before pushing Scott City, which entered the title game 32-1, to the limit in the championship game.
Sander said the Crusaders grew steadily as the spring progressed.
“We had 2 seniors and a junior playing full-time, and then the rest of them were mainly sophomores with a couple of freshmen,” Sander said. “Such a young team to finish 17-5 and beat a lot of good teams along the way. They grew up as the year went on. The sophomores kind of became juniors by the end of the year.”
Offensively, Saxony was paced by junior James Hope, who enjoyed one of the area’s strongest seasons. Hope batted .431 with 25 hits, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored, 3 doubles, 5 triples and 1 home run while posting a 1.278 OPS.
Kai McDowell helped anchor the lineup from the leadoff spot, batting .329 with a team-high 26 hits and 30 runs scored while adding 12 RBI.
Zach Roth hit .324 with 22 hits, 21 RBI, 22 runs scored, 8 doubles, 3 triples and 2 home runs while also serving as one of Saxony’s top pitchers.
Eli Raddemann finished with a .306 average, collecting 22 hits, 29 runs scored and 16 RBI, while Walker Short batted .286 with 16 hits and 15 RBI.
Tyler Lawrence added 9 hits and 11 runs scored, Dylan Johnson contributed 11 hits and 7 RBI, and senior Cole Roth finished with 12 hits, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in his final season.
Senior Baylor Willson added 13 hits and 12 RBI, while Layton Hoehne chipped in 8 hits and 8 RBI. Seth Stageberg recorded 6 hits and 8 runs scored.
Though the Crusaders’ offensive numbers stood out, Sander said one of the biggest reasons for optimism moving forward is the amount of returning talent.
“We return all of our pitching except 1 guy,” Sander said. “They return all their pitching next year and they return 6 or 7 starters out of 9 next year, so as I go out the door in retirement, the future is extremely bright for this 17-5 Saxony team.”
The season also came despite a major setback before opening day.
Sander said senior catcher Korby Engert, who was expected to be one of the team’s key contributors, missed the entire season because of injury.
“You lose your starting catcher and your No. 2 hitter in the lineup from a year ago and it was a big loss,” Sander said. “But again, the sophomores filled in and did well in that spot.”
Sander said the Crusaders’ 2 senior starters — Cole Roth and Baylor Wilson — provided steady leadership throughout the season.
“Cole Roth and Baylor Wilson were the 2 that started full time,” Sander said. “Baylor Wilson, second baseman, Cole Roth, left fielder, and pitched a little bit. So those are the 2 starters that will graduate.”
As he steps away from coaching at age 70, Sander leaves behind one of the most successful coaching tenures in area baseball.
After arriving at Saxony in 2007, Sander compiled a 292-134 record with 19 winning seasons in 20 years, winning 2 district championships and guiding the Crusaders to a state finals appearance while finishing district runner-up numerous times.
“426 varsity games later, I’ll hang it up to do some other things,” Sander said. “I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish at Saxony in building a strong year-to-year program.”
Retirement, Sander said, will include more travel with his wife, Pam, and more time with family.
The Sanders have visited all 50 states and all 30 Major League Baseball ballparks, and now hope to spend more time exploring national parks. More importantly, he said, he wants to be more present for his 6-year-old twin grandsons.
“I’m missing a lot of their stuff,” Sander said. “I’m missing a lot of their school events and a lot of their tee-ball games. I just don’t want to miss it anymore.”
In a full-circle moment, Sander hopes next spring brings a much smaller dugout — and much smaller players.
“I’m hoping to go from being a 20-year head varsity baseball coach to helping coach a coach-pitch team,” Sander said. “I’ll be moving over into another level of ball and enjoying watching them grow up and play ball.”
